Report: Vikings 'monitored' Matthew Stafford's situation before signing Darnold

Minnesota looked at all of its options before signing Darnold as a free agent.

Dec 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

We're 12 games into the Sam Darnold era with the Vikings and with a 10-2 record, it's safe to say that it has been a smashing success, but how close was Minnesota to going in a different direction at QB last offseason?

According to a recent article from The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Vikings looked at all their options before signing Darnold. Kevin O'Connell and the front office checked in on the availability of Rams QB Matthew Stafford — who was the QB when O'Connell was the offensive coordinator in LA.

"Minnesota weighed other options. It had monitored Matthew Stafford’s difficult contract negotiation with the Rams (O’Connell was Stafford’s offensive coordinator during the Super Bowl season in LA), but Sam Darnold emerged as their first choice," Russini reported. "One day after Cousins left for the Falcons, Minnesota agreed to a one-year deal with Darnold."

Once Kirk Cousins officially left Minnesota in free agency, the @Vikings “monitored Matthew Stafford’s difficult contract negotiation with the #Rams” closely before ultimately shifting to Sam Darnold who eventually became “their first choice”, per @DMRussini. pic.twitter.com/ZiMtXkLj2v

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) December 7, 2024

Stafford is 36 years old, but he's proven that he has plenty left in the tank this season. He's completing 66% of his passes for 2,983 yards, 17 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. The Rams are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning five of their last seven games. Darnold has had pretty similar numbers this season. He's completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,952 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

There's no way of knowing what the deal could've been to acquire Stafford, but Minnesota went a far more inexperienced route with Darnold. Stafford is making $23.5 million this season compared to Darnold who is making $10 million. Stafford is a proven big-time player having led the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2022, while Darnold hasn't even appeared in a postseason game as a starting quarterback.

If Minnesota decided to strike a deal with the Rams, acquiring free agents like Jonathan Grenard and Andrew Van Ginkel could've been tougher with less salary available. Ultimately, it's impossible to know how different the Vikings could be this season with Stafford, but it's fun to speculate.